POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'Iceman' electric guitar used by NoKTuRNL

Object No. 2001/121/1

This particular guitar was used by Craig T of Australian Indigenous rock band, NoKTuRNL. Based in Alice Springs, NoKTuRNL came to national attention in 1997 and has become one of the most distinctive and exciting Indigenous bands to come on to the Australian music scene in recent years. In 1998 and again in 2000 they were voted as the Band of the Year in the Deadly Sounds Indigenous Music Awards. Since the release of their first CD "Neva Mind" in 2000 on the Festival/Mushroom label Sputnik, they have had an even larger following, with appearances at Homebake and the Big Day Out and national coverage on radio through the ABC's Triple J. Their first CD was followed by "Unveiled" in October 2000 and "Haterz" in May 2001. The Iceman guitar was first developed by the Ibanez company in Japan in 1975 and was the result of a collaboration between four Japanese musical instrument companies to develop a distinctively Japanese styled electric guitar. This was a response to the tendency prior to that time for many Japanese guitars to be copies of famous guitars made by US firms such as Fender and Gibson. By 1977 Iceman guitars were being used by several notable rock musicians, and this contributed to their growing popularity. Notable amongst these was Steve Miller on his album "Fly Like An Eagle" and rhythm guitarist of Kiss, Paul Stanley. Later, musicians contributed to customising the actual design. One of the first to do this was Paul Stanley in 1977 when the PS10 was issued. Several models of the Iceman were available in this period, but by the early 1980s sales, production numbers and the range of models available all declined. Many of the dominant rock players began using guitars styled more on the Stratocaster model, and this also influenced public taste and sales. The design was revived in the mid 1990s, still with endorsement from guitarists such as Paul Stanley. Since then other musicians have assisted in the design of the instrument and the creation of a new range of models. The ICJ100WZ was co-designed with guitarist J from the band White Zombie in 1996. It came in a variety of finishes including the distinctive Galactic Green with white stars.